Paracas, Peru

About 30 miles to the south of the Peruvian city of Pisco sits the quaint little beach town of Paracas.

Its central square near the waterfront is alive with activity. Colorful boats crowd the harbor, and from here travelers journey to see the wildlife on the nearby Ballestas Islands, or the well-preserved Inca coastal outpost of Tambo Colorado.

Visiting Paracas was a very pleasing experience.





The llama is one of the symbols of Peru.

She followed me everywhere in Paracas, and kept saying "Take my picture, take my picture." She was a determined child and told me more than once that pictures were only one dollar. Well, I gave her ten dollars and I guess you can see why. What a personality she had.

Just a few of the fishing boats that crowded the harbor in Paracas, Peru.

This street musician played two instruments at once. He was part of a trio that sounded great, and they really raked in the tips.

This handsome young Peruvian boy was very well spoken in English, and very well mannered as well. Wow! What a catch some girl will have.

This is the local taxi. As far as I could tell there was only one, but then, from one end of main street to the other was just a hop, skip and a jump.

In most every booth along the waterfront colorful clothing was for sale.

This guy had a real racket going on. He had befriended a very large pelican. They were positioned along the main street and he encouraged tourists to take pictures of him and his bird. Once they moved in his direction he would pull out a handful of small fish and throw them in the air and the pelican would (on cue) jump into the air to swallow the fish. Well, once the photos were taken he quickly held up a sign that asked for tips in five different languages, and it sure did work. I fell for it, but it was money well spent.

His partner in crime, the very guilty, and the very well fed pelican.

In this very casual, laid back place, even a dog can find peace and quiet under a table for two.

Street vendors sold everything in Paracas. This man sold pretzels of a sort and they were very tasty with a beer. OK, I am a sucker for a good sales person.

And like I said, pretzels taste great with a beer.